Whipped
by An Actual Lion
Summary: Syaoran wasn't aware that his undying loyalty to the Princess was a bad thing.
"Dude, you're so whipped!" Syaoran cocked his head at the phrase. This wasn't the first time Syaoran had come across an unfamiliar saying in a world they were visiting. Though, he could normally decipher what one meant within a few seconds of thinking about it. This one however…

Blinking a few times, Syaoran shook his head as if to clear it before asking. "Um… I'm sorry, what do you mean by 'whipped'?" The three boys his age, standing around him in a semi-circle, looked at each other silently. One of them snorted and imitated the cracking sound of a whip while the other two laughed. Syaoran's cheeks began to redden with embarrassment as he continued. "I…I'm sorry, I've just never heard that saying before." He defended himself, crossing his arms as he tried to remain dignified in front of the trio.

"Whipped like…" The middle boy tried to explain through an obvious stifled laugh. "Pussy Whipped, dude. She totally has you Pussy Whipped man!" He gestured behind Syaoran to where Sakura stood, discussing something very intently with Mokona as the being waved its paws about dramatically.

As the boys continued to snicker and playfully shove each other, Syaoran began to feel frustration boil in the pit of stomach. "I'm not following." He gritted his teeth as he growled out each word, unappreciative of their bringing Sakura into whatever conversation this was. "What does any of this have to do with the Princess?"

Almost as soon as he finished his sentence, the boys burst out into loud guffaws, clutching their sides and each other for balance. Syaoran's ears burned as he looked around to make sure that no one around him saw that he was, now clearly, being very loudly and publicly mocked by these three.

"It's got everything to do with the 'Princess'~" The shortest boy wavered his voice in a manner that made Syaoran's jaw clench even tighter. "She's got you wrapped around her pinky finger, dude! You're totally pussy whipped!"

"I…" Syaoran mulled over their accusation, putting it together in his head just what they meant. "I don't understand… Why is it a bad thing?" His brow creased as his tone turned stern. "And don't speak about her like that!"

He was answered with a scoff as one of the boys clicked his tongue in a way that someone would when gently scolding a clueless child before looking to his companions. "Totally whipped, doesn't even care anymore!" He hung his head and shook it to and fro. "What a shame…."

"Hey dude!" Another turned to the increasingly angrier Syaoran with a smirk. "How bad does it suck not having balls anymore?"

With an angry shout, Syaoran threw his hands up before turning tail and stomping away, leaving the three locals laughing still as they tossed more jeers at him. Walking past them, Syaoran found himself unable to look Sakura in the eye when she stopped him to ask what was wrong. Instead, he only mumbled that everything was fine before continuing on his way to find some privacy where he could probably scream without anyone bothering him, leaving the girl and Mokona both worried and confused on his behalf.

…..

"Kurogane-san?" Sakura approached the tall man, her voice wavering a bit. He cracked open a closed eyelid and grunted in response. Nervously, Sakura fiddled with the hem of Syaoran's cloak, which she now felt guilty for wearing. "Is Syaoran-kun mad… at me?" She asked.

The ninja raised both brows as he let out a doubtful chuckle. "I don't think that's physically possible, Princess." He said, a small grin on his face as he imagined, or tried to, a scenario where Syaoran was anything but completely docile around her. "What the hell makes you think he would be anyway?"

"Well…" Sakura shuffled her feet sadly. "I don't know, he was walking by… And when me and Moko-chan asked what was wrong, because he looked upset, he just kind of mumbled and kept walking. It wasn't like him at all… I thought I did something wrong." Kurogane's shoulders stiffened as his smile turned downwards into a concerned scowl.

"Yeah that…. Isn't like the kid." He huffed, standing up from his seat under the shaded tree, and placing his hands on his hips. "I'm gonna go knock some sense into that thick skull of his." The ninja declared, stopping for a moment to gently ruffle the downy locks of hair on Sakura's head before promptly marching off to track down the other child.

….

Syaoran leaned against the trunk of the tree as he sat cross armed up in the branches. His face still felt red and unbearably warm as he found himself unable to shake the teasing words of the three boys. Though he was now familiar with the phrase, as much as he now hated it, he still wasn't aware of what he had done wrong. He referred to her by her title, was polite, everything he'd been taught to do. It wasn't as if this was considered rude or odd behavior in his, or any world they'd come across thus far.

He was at her beck and call though, Syaoran was willing to admit that to himself. But he had never felt ashamed of it before…

"Hey kid!" The bark of Kurogane's voice nearly sent Syaoran tumbling off his chosen branch. "You wanna come down here and explain why you're apparently upset with the Princess?" The dark haired man growled, clear disappointment on his gruff features.

Syaoran's heart sank as he lowered himself back onto the ground. "I'm not upset with her… Does she think I am?" He asked, eyes widening with horror as the prospect of him having potentially hurt Sakura's feelings sat in his stomach like a ball of ice.

Kurogane continued glowering at him. "Yeah, something up kid?"

Nervous, Syaoran looked away from Kurogane's unwavering gaze as he tripped over his tongue. "No…" He lied, hoping that the ninja would buy it.

He didn't.

"Yeah, and my name's ! What's going on, kid? You're never anything but sickeningly sweet towards her, why'd you give her the cold shoulder earlier?"

A period of uncomfortable silence between them made Syaoran feel even more out of place and scrutinized than before, shame welling up in his body as his mentor waited for his response. Gathering up the courage to speak, Syaoran took a deep breath.

"Kurogane-san, do you think I'm p…puh…. Whipped?" Syaoran couldn't bring himself to say the full phrase, knowing the meaning of at least one of the words.

Kurogane blinked at the question. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked, complete disbelief and confusion in his words.

Working his throat, as much as it refused, Syaoran tried to explain himself. "Some kids my age… They said I was whipped after I talked to the Princess. That I was wrapped around her finger and…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "…Implied that she'd… castrated me… or something…"

Slowly, Kurogane connected the dots between Syaoran's explaination and his apparent earlier behavior. Nodding slowly, he relaxed his form and lowered his hands from his sides, looking over the teenager with a gentler gaze. "So that's what this is about, some shit a couple twerps said to you?"

Syaoran stiffened and his cheeks flushed an even darker crimson. "N-No!" He retorted, almost a little too quickly. Hanging his head dejectedly, Syaoran sighed heavily and admitted, "Yes Kurogane-san…"

"What's so bad about what they said anyway? I mean," Kurogane shrugged. "It's not like the Princess actually lobbed off your nuts, kid." He pointed out, only furthering Syaoran's embarrassment. "If you were asked, wouldn't you say you'd do anything for the girl?"

"Of course I would, I-" Syaoran choked on his words, covering his mouth with a fist as he stopped himself from admitting the obvious.

"Then all those brats did was state the obvious." The dark man smiled, roughly tussling Syaoran's hair. "You got nothin' to be pouting about, kid. There's no shame in bein' a good soul. Now, if I were you…" He leaned in to whisper, "I'd go explain to the Princess that you aren't actually mad at her."

Practically yelping, Syaoran rushed off in the direction of the town once more to find Sakura, panic in his chest as Kurogane watched with the hint of a smile under his cloak.

….

"Princess Sakura?" Syaoran's voice was a low whimper as he approached the clearly dejected girl sitting on her own. She jumped at his sudden presence, worry in her features. "Um…" The guilt lacing Syaoran's every word was nearly palpable. "I'm really sorry, for earlier… I was really rude." From the corner of his eye, Syaoran could see the three boys from earlier, feeling his stomach twist with embarrassment and discomfort as they stopped to watch their interaction. Feeling his throat dry up, Syaoran swallowed and tried to ignore them. "I was upset about something else, and I shouldn't have been so stand offish… From the sidelines, Syaoran heard the devious chuckling of the trio, as well as the imitation whipping sounds they made.

Sakura sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest as she stood. "Oh, thank goodness… I thought I'd done something wrong, or that hurt your feelings."

Almost a little too quickly, Syaoran shook his head. "N-No, the fault was all mine. I was being stupid, you didn't do anything wrong at all, Princess. I… I just felt bad, I din't want you to think I was mad at you. I couldn't ever be really, Princess." Again, as her title left his lips, Syaoran could hear the boys jesting all too clearly, and yet refused to look their way even as the laughter got ever louder.

"Syaoran-kun…" Sakura's soft voice brought his attention back to her as she stepped a little closer to him, smile clear on her ever pretty features as he found it harder to look her in the eye without feeling like he was going to combust. Slender arms wrapped around his shoulders as Syaoran felt himself be pulled into a comforting, soft hug. Tendrils of hair brushed against his cheek and nose and her gentle scent filled and overwhelmed his senses as Syaoran tentatively returned the embrace, wrapping his arms around her torso as he found the courage to lean into the hug with a smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, Syaoran could see that the boys were still observing the two, though they had gone silent now. An unfamiliar smirk graced Syaoran's features as he found himself childishly sticking out the tip of his tongue at them, flicking his wrist in a whipping motion that they could clearly see.

He was most definitely whipped.

And he loved it.


End file.
